All the Bookish Things

Hi everyone!

It's been a while. The other day I remembered I once kept this little blog as a small way to share my passion for reading and books. When I decided to revisit, I was surprised that people are still viewing this old thing. It's fun to go back and look at my initial thoughts of books I've read a few years ago (despite gritting my teeth through the grammar and being too excited over books of which I have different views now). Life has been busy, and I don't think I'll make this blog as active again. Maybe an occasional post here and there, but it's safe to say that this blog can rest in peace. The last post I made was in the spring of 2014. It's now 2016. I've still been reading and thought that I would share some memorable books I've read since then (4/5 or 5/5 stars). To see all the books I've read, I have remained active on my Goodreads; you can also find these books listed in order as I will be sharing only small thoughts on each one. (The list is ordered chronologically).

• I finished the last two books in the Maze Runner trilogy and ended up really enjoying them. They tend to get bad rep, but I flew through them and enjoyed it the whole time.
• The Lord of the Rings by none other than Tolkien. This book took me a little while (I like to think I read it slowly), but I'm very happy that I read it. One of a kind, truly. Loved every minute of it. If you're a fan of the movies, I definitely recommend it.
• A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness, one of favorite authors. Just a beautiful, sad story.
• Both The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss. Incredible! Amazing fantasy series--once you get in, you can't get out.
• Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas, a great addition to the Throne of Glass series.
• Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan: I'm going to be completely honest, it wasn't as good as I would hope, but PJO/HOO are dear to my heart, and so I still enjoyed it.
• Undivided by Neal Shusterman I loved! I think this series doesn't get enough love. They are great distopians with amazing characters, and this finale did not disappoint.
• Vango: Between Sky and Earth by Timothee de Fombelle: this a little-known French young adult book that had a great adventure story; I actually picked up the sequel the other day.
• The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger: Really ended up enjoying this. I feel as though people love Holden or they hate him, especially as it's a character-driven book. But I enjoyed it a lot!
• The Red Tent by Anita Diamant: A great historical fiction novel focusing on the lives of women during B.C. days in the "Middle East." The last half of the book is what I really loved.
• More than This by Patrick Ness, the best: A wonderful story that took a turn I was not expecting but I loved it! If you don't want to read his beloved triology, pick this one up!
• All the Light We Cannot Seeby Anthony Doerr: Beautiful.
• Ready Player One by Ernest Cline: what a fun book! This one was very enjoyable; I especially loved the scavenger hunt and how it was a video game.
• The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaimen: what an amazing book. I don't know how to describe it, but it was just so good. Gaimen deserves the praise.
• The Time Machine/The Invisible Man by H. G. Wells: both of these are very much science fiction, but I enjoyed them immensely. I still think about The Time Machine especially.
• The Odyssey by Homer: I surprised myself and ended up really liking this book. Not only is it a look into Ancient Greece but also a very good story.
• The Inventino of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick: Another good story! Simple, yet lovely.
• And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie: My first Christie book! The mystery was amazing. I understand her reputation now.
• Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card: I really loved this book. There was something about it that I just loved. Simple as that. The themes and characters are very well done, too.
• The Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson: Wow, these books were amazing. I'm so excited to read more Sanderson. My favorites of 2015.
• The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald: an American classic, Fitzgerald shows the luxury life in the 1920's in this great story.
• The Jungle by Upton Sinclair: This is a political fiction novel focusing on the lives of (immigrant) workers in the early 1900's. It offers a great insight into the working class and the work itself. It's amazing to see how far we've come, but also how little we've come. This is an important one to read.\
• Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas: A phenomenal installment in this series, I'm really looking forward to the rest of the series.
• Lair of Dreams by Libba Bray: The sequel to the supernatural, historical The Diviners, Bray did not disappoint. I am pos-i-tute-ly in love with this series. Don't be intimidated, the stories are amazing! I can't wait for the next one alreadly.
• Winter by Marissa Meyer: An awesome finale to a great series. It was everything I could have asked for and more. Each book was better than the last.

That's it, folks. The memorable books I've read in the last two years or so.
Thanks for reading,
Kait